[fyrffytr1]

A friend of a friend has these repair manuals and would like to sell them. Can anyone here give me an idea on value?

[Stuart]

I see Motors manuals going for $10 to $20 each at swap meets, depending on condition. I don't see Chiltons manuals very often, I don't think they're as desirable.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by fyrffytr1

A friend of a friend has these repair manuals and would like to sell them. Can anyone here give me an idea on value?

That could easily be a picture of one of my bookshelves. Uncanny! Value? Stuart has it about right. On a really good day, $20.00 for a particular manual someone really wants. Realistically, if someone offered him $150.00-200.00 for the whole shelf full, he might want to take it. All the info in those books is readily available on-line, which greatly reduced the value of the "real" books.

[GT182]

I still have the 1973 Chilton's Manual that covers American cars from 1966 to 1973. The original price on the back is $10.95.

Motors manuals are good, but there's nothing wrong with using a Chilton's manual.

[Stuart]

The thing about Motors manuals is each one covers a number of years, so you don't necessarily need every single edition. I have about a half dozen of them but that covers pretty much all years from the early 1970s back to the mid 1930s.

[hobbygto65]

The muscle car years are worth the most.

[hobbygto65]

To bad he doesn't have any flat rate Motors. they have part numbers in them.

[Jeff Hamlin]

...should have one or at the very least a service manual for whatever year they own.

[77 TRASHCAN]

Originally Posted by Stuart

I see Motors manuals going for $10 to $20 each at swap meets, depending on condition. I don't see Chiltons manuals very often, I don't think they're as desirable.

X2, I agree, completely!!!

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Jeff Hamlin

...should have one or at the very least a service manual for whatever year they own.

The Motors manuals are okay, but the factory Pontiac manuals are better.

[carbking]

While I didn't see any on your friend's shelves, the first few issues are by far the most valuable.

A 4th edition just sold on ebay for $129.

There haven't been any there for awhile, but 1st editions used to bring north of $300 in any condition, and maybe $500 in really nice condition.

Jon

[Half-Inch Stud]

my 71 Motors manual is fantastic for part numbers, engine codes, starter codes, and.....front bumper images!

[padgett]

Think there is a bit of confusions here: Are individual car issues about the size of a magazine. Then there are multi-year, muliti-mode collections which are a few inches thick. The Motor Manuals are the best of these.

Off course a factory manual is the best overall and may be in several volumes (chassis, body, schematics) or may be all in one.

Then there are very specific manuals which are very good (Complete Official Jaguar E, How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot ). Guides to specific components (Rochester Carburetors). and finally the compact service manuals for individual series. For European cars I prefer the Brooklands books, for US, Haynes.

I generally keep a relevant Haynes in my cars.

Just IMNSHO.

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by Stuart

The Motors manuals are okay, but the factory Pontiac manuals are better.

We had motors manuals at our Pontiac Dealership. Why?
Easy comparison of all parts in a line, like starters, alternator, carbs.. spark plugs.. with part numbers.
Find out which Pontiacs used a certain alternator, right on ONE PAGE! . ..
If you do find this on line, would take hours, these books are invaluable. Oh, and Zero Ads for crap you don't need..

[justincampbell]

As someone who has sold a lot of these manuals on eBay, I would say between $5 to $14 each depending on year and condition. As others have mentioned, the Motors generally sell slightly better than the Chiltons. However, in my experience, neither of them sell well. If you are trying to sell locally(Craigslist, etc) you best plan on only getting $2 to $3 a piece over a period of several years. Best bet is to sell them as a group. Sure you won't get as much per manual. But, you also won't spend the next decade selling either.